“Departmental Health Service Begins Flu Vaccination for Vulnerable Groups Following Reported Cases”

With the arrival of the first batch of doses against influenza, the Departmental Health Service (Headquarters) began this week the immunization of vulnerable groups. The Manuel Asencio Villarroel children’s hospital reported yesterday that it prioritizes vaccination in children under two years of age and children with underlying disease after the latest reported cases.

At the departmental level, more than 90 patients tested positive for influenza in its different types (H1N1, H3N2,B), of which seven children remain hospitalized and one was admitted to the intensive care unit (UTI) due to complications and having with an underlying disease.

These hospitalized patients with AH1N1 flu present a stationary evolution and the UTI patient has a reserved evolution, informed the pediatrician of the children’s hospital, Pablo Dávila.

He explained that influenza can be a complication of a cold with the following symptoms: sudden fever, cough, headache, and muscle pain.

“It is advisable to go to the health center for treatment and avoid complications,” he recommended to parents. Likewise, he called for vaccinating children under two years of age and children with underlying disease against influenza.

The Headquarters received 61,600 pediatric doses and 268,960 for adults after reporting alarming numbers of weekly cases of Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI). The last report registered more than 22 thousand cases.

The vaccines began to be distributed last week to the entire health network. With this first batch, vaccination of vulnerable groups is prioritized. (See infographic).